Speech = ``...´´
Thoughts = [... }
ºº
If there was one good thing Claire knew about whatever chaos that had taken place in the capital was that everyone was too busy to try to pull out a surprise party and drag her into the ballroom again. Goddess knew how much she loathed to be the center of attention of parties that her parents seemed to enjoy.
Not like her father hadn't tried anyway.
Luckily, her mother had bashed those ideas out of the window with the tender touch of her hand. And her father almost as-well with it.
A small tinge of amusement started to draw over her lips. Now that would have been something to see and remember for days…, baldy would have been fine anyways.
Her useless excuse of a father was a lot more sturdier than his meek appearance gave credit for after all. Not that it would spare him of her mothers wrath here and then.
Claire sighed, releasing the hold of the training sword she had been holding until them and allowing it to clatter on the floor as she dropped onto her bed. Sinking into the mattress soon after.
She could feel her heartbeat, pumping loudly against her chest, sweat still trickling down her black mane into the silk underneath her as the seconds passed.
After hours training, she should be tired…, but she did not felt that. Not really…, for some reason her mind had not managed to acknowledge that yet.
She brushed a lock of black hair from her eyes.
Things had taken a turn for the strange, hadn't they? Thinking about it made it sting a little...
The strange man that had been flying through the air, the following storm.., the stories she had heard from the servants about the news from the capital and….. that detail.
Looking down at her hand, her scarlet eyes glanced at the bandages she had wrapped around it. Covering it entirely. The mark…
She did not know what it was, or how it had came to be apart from the deep searing pain she had felt back then.
It was not a prank…, nor it was a natural coloration of her skin. It was also obscenely stubborn to be wash away.
For better or for worse those strange symbols now attached to her hand were there to stay. And so she was left to hide it with the first thing that came to mind.
She sighed again, this time more loudly.
``What I am going to do with you?´´
She had tried to look information about it, books and stories even.., but there was nothing that could get her a good grasp of what she was dealing with.
She did not like that…
She did not like to not know what was going on with her body.
But she could not vent out her grievances to those around her, what could they do anyway..? No, she was right to not risk it. Perhaps it was nothing.
But if its was something worse….she would prefer to keep it under-wraps.
The only she knew is that something was not right about it….
If she could see the purple haired woman sitting right next to her with a fox like smile she would have realize how right she was.
ºº
Twilight had fall over the region a while ago, tainting the world in a bright shade pf orange as the skies bled out above their heads. It was not long before the open skies darkened and let way to the world beyond in the stars to come around.
The stars and the moon were now shining above their heads with their cold light. Lighting the darkness as their small forms hang in complete stillness in the firmament.
But they were not fumbling in the wilds for mere star-gazing like some young pair of children dazzled by the notion of adventure that the call of nature was. At least... that had not been the reason they had been there to begin with.
Now..? Well..
``This forest at the dawn of the night is so mysterious…, isn't´´
Alpha said, humming cheerfully as she had remained to his side. Her hair glinting even in the darkness as it appeared to literally bathe in the pale moonlight. Her eyes had also become small blue glitters in the darkness..
Like his, but if it was natural or not...she had not given voice to it. Perhaps she not even noticed.
He had not question her either.
And now, with their training session over there was little now that could keep the girl from hyper-focusing on the matter at hand. Her mind wandering into their surroundings…, taking into the shapes and colors that the daylight had either covered or shielded with their brightness.
Like any child, Alpha was merely trying to amuse herself with the things she did not understand, asking him for answers, or perhaps trying to tell him what were they looking at when they came across something she seemed familiar with.
Now, their most recent task was berry picking where she had led him through the bushes so that they could bring their "little home" a full basket so that they could bake a cake. Why a cake? Were that idea had come from he had no idea. In fact, could she even cook..?
Given the fact that in the end seemed to have him having to teach her what she could and could not eat did not give him high hopes about it..
Speaking of it, for an elf of the forest...she was rather blind and some when it came to understand what she was bringing to the basket. There had been at least three times in a row that she had picked a poisonous batch.
``It does look like that...´´
She did not seem to mind his quaint reply, her smirk only widening.
``It may be the same place that I have walked by these last few days…, but it looks completely different from daytime. Maybe more so since you are next to me...´´
She muttered softly, brushing her golden mane to the side with one hand. Allowing to float just behind her back when a soft gush of cool wind brushed against her. Her expression serene and soft, like a doll made out of porcelain that had been brought to life. A painting of the halls of solemnity before they burned under the fires of war.
….
He clenched his jaw, had the ground been made of stone it would have shattered as energy started to slip pass his body.
For a moment he had mistaken her for someone else…
Then a certain purple haired woman came into view, placing her arms around his neck as she allowed herself to hang from it as she pressed herself flat against him.
"What a Way to go, eh? Not bad, not bad at all…., though there are some thing that need work I would give her a seven for effort"
If Alpha was the image of serene beauty of a well crafted painting….Aurora was the product of spontaneous madness with color and noise thrown into the mix.
At least her antics were strangely sobering him up back to his brooding self.
That was good.
"So...? What do you think..?"
[What are you babbling about.?]
"Moi..? Nothing for you to worry about.."
The way her face could become flustered before wrapping itself in playfulness and seriousness was to be commended.
[By that very same logic..I will]
"Sure you will…, even if I were to tell you to take things slowly and enjoy them as they come you will still worry.."
[Because I have much to enjoy..}
"Of course! My amazing company wouldn't you say?"
He was not looking at her, and yet he was sure one of his eyebrows had rose at that.
[Not a humble one, are you?]
Chuckled before loosening her grip and landing on the ground to his left. Even by crouching he was still towering above her.
She crossed her arms below her ample chest, making the fabric of the shirt become tighter as a result as she looked at him with feigned hurt.
"You were suppose to praise the pretty lady.."
[I will when I find the lady in question…]
Aurora stared at him with a raise eyebrow, eyes blinking once, then twice before settling in a prideful stance. Her soft, plump lips curling into a wide grin.
"Oh, I like it when you play hard to get.."
He did not know what she meant, nor he cared.
It was probably something bad.
Meanwhile, Alpha had approached and graved one of his arms. Wrapping her arm around it before softly pulling him to the side.
Had Koldarrd been there...Rose could have said that they may have well appeared as newlyweds.
With his Reaper persona, it felt more like a parody of that.
He still allowed her to lead him on towards a small rock in the clearing, where she slwoly loosened her grip over his arm and sit over the rock. Leaning back a bit as her eyes looked up. Ocean like eyes trying to peer the darkness that had enveloped the skies. The glint of a thousand stars reflecting through them.
``I have always liked to stare at them...´´
Her voice was soft, almost a whisper yet he heard it all the same. There was no pain, no solemnity, nor he would find any for she was just stating a fact.
He did not reply, something she did not mind in the slightest as he merely knelt to her side.
``They are beautiful, aren't they…? Bright and sparkling, always up there. There is not a day that they are not there. Shining down...´´
``They are…´´
She looked at him, nodding weakly. Yet her eyes lingered with a faint touch of gratitude.
``Back then I used to watch them, at night, from my room or from the fields around my village. Sometimes my mother tried to accompany me in those moments, most often than not I did it alone...´´
``You miss her…´´
She did not answer right away, yet he noticed the way her ears twitched twice. A few seconds later he heard her take a deep breath before she shook her head, eyes closing to a half lid.
``No, I miss some moments…, even if nothing really happened back then, living in the village wasn't all that bad´´
``Is that so..?´´
She nodded ``I had a friend... , a girl like me.. though with silver short hair. The daughter of a neighbor. The two of us always went to do things together. She was shy, but when she put her head into something she could do it..´´
``You speak of her highly, given that you are just ten years old..´´
She cracked another smile, yet there was a pained shadow behind them this time. Clouding their luster.
``I guess I do…, I guess I do..´´
….
Someone else would have given her words of encouragement… perhaps pat her back and tell her that everything would be fine.
Not him…
He remained still where he stood, like a statue that had been carved right next to her. His eyes glaring at her with no recollection that they had even moved an inch since they started their conversation.
It was the first time in a while that he actually felt attacked by his own lack of experience to tackle the matter right away...
At least Aurora was not riling him up while he lashed at himself. In fact, the awfully chatty and annoying ghost woman was as apprehensive of the situation as he was.
What they were now? A bunch of heavily under-prepared parents..? Now that would have been a fine joke.
Feeling slightly better about his own miserable existence he finally addressed her.
``Tell me about her..´´
She seemed to light about that. Like a child who was given the chance to talk about a topic they enjoyed and had feared at first to share with others.
It was...an endearing sight.
``She was a kind albeit a bit shy girl. Soft tempered and polite with a great of imagination…, you would have liked. She also liked to look at the skies with me. Sometimes we played as if the stars made figures...´´
She chuckled at the memory, it was not a callous sound..nor it was filled with mockery. She truly meant it…
But soon enough her voice started to break down, her lips becoming stiff, the corner of her eyes becoming watery. It was only through her will that she kept herself from going any further.
``A silly thing, isn't it?´´
…
…
His hands clenched tightly, talons digging into his palms. A sense of anger and wrongness slipping in like water through the cracks of an old home.
``You are wrong…´´
She looked at him, surprised.
``Eh, what was that master?´´
He stared back, but it was only when he pulled the talons from plowing any deeper into his palms that he answered.
``I believe you were talking about the constellations without realizing it...´´
``Constellations?´´
The look in her face was telling enough that the sound of that word was alien to her.
Perhaps this world was not as developed as he thought.
Perhaps it was just the fact that he was sharing such knowledge with a girl whose life-spam was nothing but a blink of his eyes.
But finding himself already with the attention of Alpha on him he decided to continued on.
``A group of stars forming a recognizable pattern that different cultures attributed to mythical beast of their own stories. Teaching them rules..or acting as pathfinders when bereft of any map to travel´´
He droned out, though the elf followed with avid attention his every word.
``That is a fascinating concept to think. That the stars connect and paint a picture. If only she was here now...I am sure she would have been dancing out of joy to hear that´´
`` You are exaggerating...´´
``I don't think I am, but yet again..what do I know?´´ She said, her lips curling downwards at the end.
"Look what you did.."
[Quiet..]
``Alpha…´´
``What I do really know is that I don't know where she is now. I don't know if she is ok. The punishments from trying to defy the chiefs village orders can be severe...´´
It was then that he started to sense something stir up inside the girls chest. Something that he did not need his eyes to witness the way her slender fingers started to grasp on the rough surface of the rock to notice.
It was a curious thing to be sure given what she had told him of what they had done to her when they found out her condition…
``You are worried. You feel fear for her safety…., why?´´
``Because she was the one that helped me escape the clutches of my people…, when they had me trap, she distracted them long enough for me to slip by..´´
And there it was the reason...
``I thought you say that everyone had betrayed you…´´
``Perhaps I was just an untrusty narrator...like she used to say about some books the chief of the village said she had written about his own exploits. So much happened that I-I just forgot...´´
The shame that colored her cheeks was real, as if to forget about that act of kindness had been the most foul sin she had ever committed. The bravery to admit those flaws at her own age... that he could respect.
Still...one person against a full village value of people was not much
Still better than none, but not for a long stretch.
``She sounds like a good person..´´
She nodded, grateful for his words.
``She is, she risked so much and for so little...looking at the stars I can not help but remember those nights we spent together. They make me remember that I actually have no idea how long has it passed since I lost consciousness´´
``The thing..is that I fear that she was suffering the same fate than I. Back then I..I did not notice, I was afraid, I was...confused.´´
She halts, finding the need to breath in before trying to continue on.
`` But now…, it feels like I have an eternity to think, to ponder..and the more I do..the more things start falling into place. And the more they do, the more clearer the image becomes. And the view is not pretty..´´
…
…
With a sight he stood up. There was only one thing to do.
``I will look for her...´´
She cocked her head towards him.
``Would you do that for me?´´
``It would do you good to have someone you trust and care with you..´´
``Thank you...´´
That seemed to put down the flames of misery in her heart. Filling it with something else, something warmer…
Whatever it was..he did not care as-long as she was fine with it. He needed to think..
Sadly, that was not what he was gonna get.
"Well, look at that...a completely gentleman. You really like to make promises to every girl you pick don't you? Do you think you can keep up..?"
[I am not lying to her, nor I did lie to you..]
"I know…, I know I said this..but she is lucky to have you", you know that? Right..?"
[I would not know about that if she knew..]
Auroras expression shifted from playful to concerned. The witch floated right next to him, her fingers tapping his shoulder, scratching the cool metal slowly while violet eyes gazed at him, clearly unsure of where to even began..
"You are too hard on yourself..."
He closed his eyes, his jaw clenching with a grimace. He tried to stop it…, to push back the tide of memories flowing in, threatening to burst.
He failed.
And now he was left to watch them parade before him.
The taste of sweat, blood and ashes clogging his mouth and throat as he was knee deep in bodies. Friend and foe alike...
The ache of his soul as he voluntarily stabbed it and chipped it away with reckless abandon as he pushed himself inside an inferno of the universe and his own making. A fool in a fools errand doing a foolish favor to an even more foolish universe...
Cities and kingdoms burning into cinders, bone and cartilage melting into the ground while blood dried out and turned into red smoke everywhere he looked at. Fumes that only continue to grow at the myriad of corpses he laid on his wake.
The skies crashing down while the threads of fate were torn apart with no regard for them. Time and space abused like a child pulling the limbs of a toy while sanity became a wayward memory fir the strong and a death sentence for the weak...
A million souls screaming his name, more cursing it.
The carnage…
The blood…
Then the Abyss and the silence that had followed….
The way he had been just about to murder Alpha on the spot because her appearance reminded him of the failures of his past.
The way he almost strangled Aurora to death not once, but twice!
And she said he was too hard on himself..?
[With good reason..]
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A/N
Here comes another chapter, hope you enjoy and review if you like.
Its not explained in the main story or novels, or if it has I was not aware of it..but most if not all the possessed were captured and sent to the cult/church or killed on the spot. So how would a bunch of girls between 9 and 10 years be able to outmatch and outran their families/friends/neighbors and their dogs turned foes like Alpha and Epsilon did? Yeah, I know Alpha was caught later on, but the point stands. Also Delta is self explanatory though, but Delta is special..like all good doggos are.